1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a deodorizing apparatus for use in storage chambers, such as refrigerators, for removing odors from the air by converting the oxygen in the air to ozone.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, active carbon is used, for example, in refrigerators for removing the odors released from the foods stored therein by utilizing the adsorbing property of the carbon. However, active carbon needs replacement every time the active carbon has been saturated by adsorbing odors. Active carbon further has the drawback of requiring replacement at short time intervals since it is difficult to determine when the active carbon has been saturated.
To obviate these drawbacks, deodorizing apparatus have already been proposed in which some of the oxygen in the odor-containing air is converted by a silent discharge to ozone, which is then reacted with the air on the surface of a catalyst for deodorization. With these deodorizing apparatus, the odor components are decomposed on oxidation by the deodorizing catalyst which is activated with ozone at the same time, an excess of the ozone decomposes to oxygen (2O.sub.3 .fwdarw.3O.sub.2), and is discharged from the apparatus. (See, for example, Examined Japanese Utility Model Publication SHO 60-24351).
However, the conventional deodorizing apparatus has the drawback that when the operation of the electric motor thereof stops due to a malfunction or due to some other cause, the remaining ozone flows out of the case through an air inlet. As a result, this remaining ozone produces an adverse influence on the interior material of the storage chamber and on the food stored therein.
The apparatus has another drawback. The deodorizing catalyst, when used for a prolonged period of time, exhibits a decreased ozone decomposition efficiency. The amount of residual ozone in the oxygen flowing out of the apparatus increases and a higher residual ozone concentration is produced to the interior of the storage chamber and adversely affect the interior material and the stored food therein.